Commission Recommends Minor Changes to City Charter

The Charter Review Commission has released a report outlining proposed changes to the Saratoga Springs Charter — the document establishing the City of Saratoga Springs. 

The changes in this phase of the Charter Review Commission’s work only require a vote of the City Council; however, further recommendations could come that would require a referendum. 

The proposed changes will be presented by the Commission at the Jan. 20 City Council meeting. During the Jan. 6 City Council meeting, Mayor John Safford praised the work of the Commission, saying that they did “exactly what I asked them to do.” 

The Commission went title by title of the charter, looking for areas to improve upon. Of the 14 Titles in the Charter, only Titles one, nine and 13 didn’t receive any changes in the initial review. 

Here is a breakdown of all the changes recommended by the Commission. 

Title 2

Title 2 of the Charter, which establishes city offices, saw changes to the position of Supervisor, how vacancies are handled and the establishment of rules for City Council. 

Under the proposed changes, the language of the charter will no longer require two supervisors, instead establishing the number as “One or more,” depending on County Law. In addition, the supervisors will no longer be required at all meetings and are instead required to report at least quarterly to City Council. 

In terms of conduct of City Council, under the proposed changes, the mayor would be required to present rules on how City Council conducts business at the start of a new term. Those rules would have to be approved by the City Council by the third meeting, or the rules revert to the previous year. 

In addition to rules of order, the Commission recommended establishing a new section of Title 2 specifically dictating that all departments establish policies and procedures regarding Freedom of Information. 

The final, and most contested recommendation came in regard to vacancies on City Council. Under the new policy, City Council has 70-90 days to call for a special election if the vacancy is over 180 days away from a general election. If the vacancy occurs less than 180 days away from a general election, then the special election can occur concurrently with the general election. The measure was recommended by a vote of 7-4. 

Title 3

Title 3, which establishes the mayor’s office, saw some minor changes. Some of these changes had to do with updates to the Charter, reflecting previously established changes to names and city codes. It also changed the requirement for comprehensive plan review to take place once every 10 years rather than every five. 

The other notable change was the official establishment of the position of City Historian, replacing the section on public information in the charter. 

Title 4 

Changes to how the city manages finances were also recommended. Under the proposed changes, the Finance Commissioner is no longer required to conduct annual random audits, instead requiring audits be done when deemed necessary. Audits of the Finance Department would also be required to be undertaken by an independent auditor designated by City Council. 

The Commission also recommended formally strengthening language in the charter that establishes repercussions for those who make illegal payments, establishing that those who make illegal payments may be subject to removal. Another notable change was the requirement that all budget transfer requests have a written explanation — rather than just those which exceed 10% of the budget. 

The final provision recommended in Title 4 is the establishment of an IT Administrator to oversee all information technology in the city and to establish a policy manual. 

Title 5 

Only minor changes were made to Title 5, which establishes the Public Works Department. Such changes include changes to language and clarification of the duties of the department. 

Title 6 

The most notable change to Title Six of the charter was the formal establishment of the Civilian Review Board. The purpose of the board is to review grievances made against the Police Department. This board was previously established by City Council and had its first meeting in May 2025. 

In addition to the Civilian Review Board, minor changes were made with updated language reflecting state law. 

Title 7 

The most proposed changes came to Title 7, which governs the Accounts Department. Under the proposed changes, the role of the City Assessor was almost completely rewritten with stronger requirements for training and certification of those who carry out the role and clarification regarding how assessments are to be carried out. 

The other change to the Accounts Department is the establishment of the position of Risk and Safety Administrator to oversee insurance matters within the city and establish a policy and procedures manual for all city departments to follow. 

Title 8 

Only one change was made to Title 8 of the Charter, which deals with legal matters. Under the proposed change, contracts with outside lawyers will now require prior approval from City Council before any services are rendered. 

Title 11 

Title 11, which deals with contracts, saw two changes and clarifications. The first was a raising of the threshold for requiring bids. Under the proposed change, the threshold for a public works project needing a notice of bids will go from $20,000 to $35,000 while the bid threshold for a purchase contract will go from $10,000 to $20,000. In addition, the selection of bids will conform to state law rather than just the lowest bidder. 

Next Steps

Mayor Safford said that the Commission will continue to review the charter and will possibly recommend larger ones down the road. As for whether these changes will be considered by City Council soon, he said that the Council will discuss the proposed changes and may or may not implement them.